


The Art of the Cooperative Endgame

by whatthefoucault



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Awkward Flirting, Chess, Cookies, M/M, Sakaar (Marvel), Thor: Ragnarok (2017), frostmaster, hamfisted vague descriptions of chess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 23:02:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15496701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatthefoucault/pseuds/whatthefoucault
Summary: The Grandmaster surveyed the board as Loki prepared to make his move, and - oh, this was interesting, he thought - there was a very good chance indeed that Loki might actually win.





	The Art of the Cooperative Endgame

**Author's Note:**

> I was asked to write a first for the Grandmaster and Loki, so here's their first chess match. Also [on tumblr](http://whatthefoucault.tumblr.com/post/176454779511/tell-me-about-loki-and-grandmasters-first)!

The game was winding down. Loki, the Grandmaster's handsome new guest, had thus far proven himself an admirable playmate, careful and calculating. The Grandmaster surveyed the board as Loki prepared to make his move, and - oh, this was interesting, he thought - there was a very good chance indeed that Loki might actually win.

He watched with rapt attention as Loki tapped the rook against the board and considered his possibilities: he seemed to be settling into his guest quarters - and life on Sakaar - with the ease and comfort of a vintage spacebus hostess arriving home at the end of a twenty-six hour workday, shucking off her conical brassiere, and slipping into an old sweatshirt she stole from her ex-boyfriend. Loki made his move.

And it was terrible.

“Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?” protested the Grandmaster. “You can't tell me you didn't see that move. You're a, you're a real smart cookie there, uhh, Loki.”

“Thank you,” said Loki. “But really - ”

“You're a, I'd say you're probably a, a thin mint,” the Grandmaster continued, waggling his fingers emphatically. “You've got that, uhh, velvety, dark exterior, but there's a little, uhh, bite to you. That and you're, uhh, you know, cool.”

“That's very kind of you to say,” replied Loki, and the Grandmaster wondered whether it was wishful thinking on his part, or if Loki was blushing.

“Okay, okay, now do me,” enthused the Grandmaster.

Loki considered him carefully. “You,” he said at last, “are a coconut macaroon, dipped in dark chocolate and topped with a single glacé cherry.”

The Grandmaster blushed. “Oh, I like that,” he smiled. “That's, uhh, a pretty good cookie. You know what? We should get cookies after this. I think I, uhh, still have a, a rare, unopened box of Jammy Snorbflorbs from just before they were banned.”

“I'd like that very much,” Loki agreed, “now are you going to let me finish my move?”

The Grandmaster was growing suspicious. There was no way that Loki, as clearly clever as he was, was so obtuse as not to have seen the very simple winning move he seemed so steadfast in his refusal to acknowledge.

“Are you, uhh, are you trying to let me win?” he asked. “Is that what’s happening right now?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Loki scoffed, almost convincingly. The Grandmaster could tolerate the sycophancy, the endless hollow flattery that many an opportunistic hanger-on had been more than keen to lavish upon him down the years - but never, not ever, in games. It was not something that arose often; indeed, he bested most opponents with remarkable ease, and greatly enjoyed it, but what he enjoyed far more was a game - and a player - that presented a genuine challenge.

“Now, now listen, uhh, Loki, I didn’t ask you to play so you could let me win,” he admonished. “I mean, uhh, you know, don’t, don’t get me wrong, I like winning, but, uhh, where’s the fun in winning if I haven’t, you know, earned it?”

Loki smiled. “That’s admirable,” he replied, carefully running his fingertip along the curvature of the rook. “A lesser man might be content to live under the illusion that his mastery of the game is infallible.”

“Ah, I may be a lot of things, but lesser is not one of them,” said the Grandmaster. “So no cheating. Got it?”

“I'll need you to promise you won't be a sore loser,” replied Loki, his fingertips rolling over the hem of his handsome new shirtsleeves - the Grandmaster could not help but to admire his impeccable understanding of colour theory, and the way the blue and gold of his ensemble complimented the deep, vibrant green of his aura.

“A gifted player is, uhh, a very rare thing,” replied the Grandmaster. “A, a treasure, even. Why would I squander something that special? Why would I devalue the, uhh, the friendship we have, like that?”

“So no swift execution if I checkmate,” confirmed Loki.

“Stardust, please,” the Grandmaster assured him. “You can trust me.”

“Yes,” replied Loki, his smile the most hopeful the Grandmaster had seen from him. “I do believe I can.”

“Well?” asked the Grandmaster. “It’s still your move.”

Loki made his move. And it was _glorious_.

“Checkmate,” he said,letting his rook tip over the white king. The Grandmaster could not help but laugh, clapping his hands together in delight.

“Well, would you look at that,” he declared. “You did it, stardust! See, I, uhh, I knew you had it in you.”

Loki grinned. “Thanks for not having me executed,” he said.

“Loki, honey, don't be ridiculous,” he said fondly. “Whoever you've been, wherever you're from, whatever you've done, uhh, you're here now, and that's - well, stardust, that's simply wonderful.”

“You know what? I quite agree,” Loki grinned, extending his hand to help the Grandmaster from his deep-set velvet armchair. There was that frisson again, lovely and warm and green. There was something very, very special about Loki, he thought; indeed, if the curious look Loki gave him was any indication, perhaps the feeling was mutual. “I believe you were saying something about Jammy Snorbflorbs?”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! It was interesting going back and writing something so early in their relationship, having spent a lot of time now writing about later firsts (and seconds, and thirds) for these two. If you enjoyed it, feel free to leave a comment down below, like, and subscribe for more mostly soft content! And do [come say hello on tumblr](http://whatthefoucault.tumblr.com)!


End file.
